Connect
MJA
MJA

The role of fats in the lifecycle stages

Linda C Tapsell and Marijka J Batterham
Med J Aust 2002; 176 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2002.tb04571.x
Published online: 3 June 2002

During adolescence and young adulthood dietary fat continues to play important roles as an energy source, a significant cell structural component, a precursor to agents of metabolic function and a potent gene regulator.1 Energy requirements for the final stage of growth can be highly variable, but the increasing prevalence of obesity suggests a problem with energy imbalance. Rather than being the result of excess food intake,2 this has been attributed to reduced physical activity.3 Physical activity levels decline substantially during adolescence and young adulthood.4 Once obese, adolescents are generally even less active than their non-obese counterparts,3 and this is not necessarily accompanied by greater energy or fat intakes.5 Adolescents who are obese are more likely to become obese adults than younger children who are obese.6 As overweight in adolescence is a more powerful predictor of risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis than overweight in adulthood,7 the effect of reduced physical activity at this stage is compelling.


  • Smart Food Centre, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.


Correspondence: 

  • 1. Storlien LH, Tapsell LC, Fraser A. Insulin resistance: influence of diet and physical activity. World Rev Nutr Diet 2001; 90: 26-43.
  • 2. Troiano RP, Briefel RR, Carroll MD, Bialostosky K. Energy and fat intakes of children and adolescents in the United States: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Am J Clin Nutr 2001; 72: 1343S-1353S.
  • 3. Molnar D. Physical activity in relation to overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Eur J Pediatrics 2000; 159: S45-S55.
  • 4. Kemper HCG, Twisk JWR, Koppes LLJ, et al. A 15-year physical activity pattern is positively related to aerobic fitness in young males and females (13–27 years). Eur J Appl Physiol 2001; 84: 395-402.
  • 5. Gordon-Larsen P. Obesity related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in obese and non-obese urban Philadelphia female adolescents. Obes Res 2001; 9: 112-118.
  • 6. Whitaker RC, Wright JA, Pepe MS, et al. Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N Engl J Med 1997; 337: 869-873.
  • 7. Must A, Jacques PF, Dallal GE, et al. Long term morbidity and mortality of overweight adolescents: a follow-up of the Havard Growth Study of 1922 to 1935. N Engl J Med 1992; 327: 1350-1355.
  • 8. Magarey AM, Daniels LA, Boulton TJC, Cockington RA. Does fat intake predict adiposity in healthy children and adolescents aged 2–15y? A longitudinal analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 2000; 55: 471-481.
  • 9. Bandini LG, Wu D, Must A, et al. Comparison of high-calorie, low-nutrient-dense food consumption among obese and non-obese adolescents. Obes Res 1999; 7: 438-443.
  • 10. Molnar D, Schutz Y. Fat oxidation in nonobese and obese adolescents: effects of body composition and pubertal development. J Pediatr 1998; 132: 98-104.
  • 11. Post GB, Kemper HCG, Twisk JWR, van Mechelen W. The association between dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease risk indicators in healthy youngsters: results covering fifteen years of longitudinal development. Eur J Clin Nutr 1997; 51: 387-393.
  • 12. Gliksman MD, Lazarus R, Wilson A. Differences in serum lipids in Australian children: is diet responsible? Int J Epidemiol 1993; 22: 247-254.
  • 13. National Health and Medical Research Council. Draft dietary guidelines for children and adolescents. 2001. <www.health.gov.au/hfs/nhmrc/advice/diet.htm>.
  • 14. Butte N. Fat intake of children in relation to energy requirements. Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 72: 1246S-1252S.
  • 15. Gaull GE, Giombetti T, Woo RW. Pediatric dietary lipid guidelines: a policy analysis. J Am Coll Nutr 1995; 14: 411-418.
  • 16. Obarzanek E, Kimm SY, Barton BA, et al. Long-term safety and efficacy of a cholesterol-lowering diet in children with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: seven-year results of the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC). Pediatrics 2001; 107: 256-264.
  • 17. McLennan W, Podger A. National nutrition survey. Nutrient intakes and physical measurements. Australia 1995. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1998.
  • 18. Peterson S, Sigman-Grant M. Impact of adopting lower-fat food choices on nutrient intake of American children. Pediatrics 1997; 100: E4.
  • 19. Nader PR, Stone EJ, Lytle LA, et al. Three-year maintenance of improved diet and physical activity. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1999; 153: 695-704.

Author

remove_circle_outline Delete Author
add_circle_outline Add Author

Comment
Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

I/we agree to assign copyright to the Medical Journal of Australia and agree to the Conditions of publication *
I/we agree to the Terms of use of the Medical Journal of Australia *
Email me when people comment on this article

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.